FOCUS ON MICHEAL ACKERMAN – PWNY 2016 – June 12-18

In this new “focus on” post we are going to present another photographer who will teach in the next seventh edition of Photo Workshop New Yorkfrom June 12 to June 18, 2016: Micheal Ackerman.

Micheal is born in 1967 in Tel Aviv and at the age of seven he has moved to New York with his family. A self taught photographer, he soon began working in the streets, in nightclubs and in the dock area of New York.

In 1998 the photographs he took in India during the year 1993-1994 ended up in a book entitled “End Time City,” which earned him the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography in the young photographers category.

In 1999 “End Time City” received the Nadar prize as the best photographic book of the year. This work explores a wide range of thematic from the question time to the death with his unmistakable black and white. In black and white he made his mark with his unique approach, creating grainy enigmatic images as reflections of his personal introspective visions.

In the following years he worked in Poland, in Marseilles, in Naples and in Havana. In 2001 he published his second book “Fiction” with Delpire. In 2009, he won the SCAM Roger Pic Award for his series “Departure, Poland”.

His last book “Half Life” has been published in 2010 again by Robert Delpire.

He has been represented by VU Gallery in France and the Agenzia Grazia Neri in Italy, after he decided to take his own way.

In 2014, he collaborated with Vincent Courtois, cellist, and Christian Caujolle, behind the project, in a show called “L’intuition” which proposes a dialogue between photography and music creation. This show was presented, in particular, as part of the festival Banlieues Bleues and for the Rencontres d’Arles 2014.

So, after this little tour about his life here are some questions we asked to Michael trying to know him better and to understand who he is.

Enjoy the interview!

PWNY: How did it all start for you with photography? What are your memories of your first shots?

MA: I remember the first time I brought a camera to high school. I was 17. I took pictures of the kids that I was too shy to be friends with. Then I had the film developed and gave them little prints. I think I felt a slight sense of power. And it felt good to hide behind the camera and look at people. And it felt good to get a little closer to them.

PWNY: How did your personal research evolve in time? Starting from your first projects to your current work?

MA: The look of my pictures evolved, my interests and obsessions have evolved, but what what remains constant is the need to enter and explore different worlds, spaces, lives, my own included and try to get deeper. It’s endless.

PWNY: How would you describe yourself as a photographer?

MA: Obsessive. Intuitive. My work is not very preconceived. I wish to be surprised by my pictures. I wish for them to reveal something to me. Something I can sense but not necessarily see. I’m open to accidents, to mistakes. I’m very interested in sequencing and editing and building narratives with pictures.

PWNY: Your future students know you as a photographer, what should they expect from Michael Ackerman the educator? What kind of teacher and mentor do you think you are?

MA: In my workshops I try to understand each participant’s individual vision, mentality, sensibility. I try to challenge them to break some borders that they may be confined by. I wish to inspire them to consider new possibilities for their work. It’s important for me that all the participants feel that their voice is valid and equal in the workshop. It should be a collaboration, not a lecture. I wish that each participant leaves feeling a little more free.

PWNY: What kind of relationship do you have with the city of New York? Do you have any place you are particularly affectionate with?

MA: I think New York is wild, inexhaustible, unpredictable. It’s a very good place to roam the streets, to have encounters with strangers, to get to know them. I think people are surprisingly open to be photographed, to tell their stories. It’s a good place for a workshop.

PWNY: What would you suggest to all those who are going to experience a workshop like this for the first time?

MA: Be brave and be honest.

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Enrollment for the seven-day workshop with Michael Ackerman in New York is open!

For more information you can check the workshop page or contact us directly at info@photoworkshopnewyork.com.

The workshop is open to everyone — of any age, nationality and level of photographic experience. We hope to see you at PWNY 2016!
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